A/N: Thank you again for the support. Happy to see that you still read this story. :-)
Chapter XVII
What is Love?
MARRIED
Spanish cousin Armando Teague?
What moron will buy such nonsense?
They do not resemble at all.
Captain Jack Sparrow, is a charming, intelligent man that can get anything he wants.
While Saldovar.., or is it Salvador? No, Salamander…? - Ah, Salazar, is nothing but a peasant loser in disguise of a distinguished man. How on earth can anyone think of them as alike? As two men coming from the same relatives.
What idiot in the world would buy such a lie?
Having to balance keeping the false life of living like a family-man a la nobleman while at the same time taking small steps into just finishing this bubble off so he can return to his life, was one thing.
But to now have to look out for Mister Spaniard Salazar is another thing. Truly he has no idea of what has flung into Mister Hans for thinking this is a good idea. Probably because he does not know. And obviously just thinks of this idiotic man of a so-called privateer, as a true gentleman that simply does 'the right thing', which would mean to be here for Angelica.
The matter does drive Jack up the wall. How is he supposed to be living in the same house as this... assassin? Eh? Who has thought of that?
Who?
Given any chance, he will try to have Jack dead.
Sitting behind his desk inside his office, he musingly fingers on his beard. Behind him is a grand window, revealing raindrops falling heavily to the ground, creating an illusion of gray dullness outside.
It somehow mirrors his inner world. This immensely defective idea of bringing his wishful murderer into the house changes things.
Or… maybe the idea of killing him is not the final goal Salazar has after all. If he wanted to really, truly, kill Jack, he could have had the chance already.
And if he is smart enough, perhaps he understands that to kill Jack can never be sufficient. It can never be fulfilling enough for a person hating the other, to just simply get rid of the hated one. To kill Jack.
But rather to kill what he cherishes the most.
Which would be the beloved Black Pearl, or…
He swallows, straightens his back and tries to shake the blurry thought away from getting stuck in his mind.
No.
Because he does not love.
He does not, ever, love a person, does he, aye?
No. Captain Jack Sparrow never loves anything but the Black Pearl.
And he never cherishes anything more than the bloody Pearl, aye, does he? No, he does not. His beloved Pearl is the apple of his eye. His everything.
No person can ever compete against this.
Right?
Yet does Armando Salazar know that?
And the greater and bigger question; why else would he of all women in the world, have chosen to go after the single one Jack would offer his own life for?
Mister Hans has no idea how harder he just made everything. Higher stakes, oh bloody yes.
If only Jack would learn to return to his old thoughts, which mainly consisted of nobody's happiness but his own - everything would be solved. There would never be a catch on him. And he would be free.
There would be nothing that could be held against him.
There is no cause to try to deny it, because he knows as much as anybody else, that there certainly is a catch on him. Unfortunately.
He swore to never end up there. But he had.
And now he would have to fix it.
Again.
Always him.
Why cannot anybody else for once organize a suitable result? Why is it always him that has to clean up whatever mess there is, choose path and sort of carpet it?
Yet no matter how much he so desires for someone else, to fix this. He knows that this is in the end up to him, and only himself to be fixed. While he knows Angelica, he knows she rarely finds the negative attributes in people.
God that woman had no idea what she made him into.
Speaking of which. When he sees her figure passing by the open doorway, he must call out for her. Quickly he brings himself to the doorway and has her turning around further away. She seems troubled, her gaze bringing her to calmness once her eyes land upon him. The attire she wears can be classified as casual for a fancy Londoner lady. But for her, the pirate woman Angelica, she looks very dressed up in this white dessert of a dress.
Even if it is just a matter of many hours since he was truly alone with her, experiences with these many new impressions cause him to believe it could have been ages. And it brings him to gesture for her to go inside his office, with a watchful gaze down the hallway to make sure nobody sees before he closes the door after them.
This time he wastes no more of it to dance around what he will regard. "Stay away from that man."
Obviously this is not the right way to direct her. Because it brings her to a defensive aura at once, with an attacked sigh in disbelief.
"No, I mean it," Jack warns. "That man is dangerous."
Apparently she does not believe a word of what comes out of his mouth. "For you," her Spanish accent rings. "Any man is that tries to woo me."
Now he huffs. Really? She is going down that road? Really Angelica?
Lord she frustrates him. Cannot she just for one time during her lifetime, consider his words to be truthful?
Why does she always question him?
How has he deserved that?
"That man gave me my Sparrow name," he aims to convince her. "For ages he has tried to bring me to the bottom of the sea, bury me below soil, savvy? He cannot be trusted."
She still listens to him with a death ear but rolls her eyes. Instead her focus begins to travel to examine things inside the room as if she has better things to think about. As if whatever Jack says is as if spoken by a neglected child that tells too many stories.
"Angelica, listen to me," Jack approaches her and has her against the wall, hand under her chin to make her intently give him her undivided attention. "He has ye in a way to get to me. Ye must see that, aye?"
Growing in anger, she leaves his gentle hold and eyes him with disbelief. How dare he tell her she is nothing but a useful item between the men? "You're the most self centered person I've ever met."
"That can be."
"That's not a compliment," she admonishes. "Everything, Sparrow, isn't about you."
Jack though remains firm. "This be about me. This, love, be 'bout nothing but bloody Salazar getting back at me for killing him years ago and trapping him in the Devil's Triangle."
By now all she does is to chuckle in this state of disbelief she refuses to leave. "Impressive. Someday teach me this fantasy-mind of yours and I'll have endless stories to tell Frances."
"This isn't funny, Angelica. This be a serious matter, mark my words," Jack cannot stress this enough. "He's using you."
"Oh, please!"
"Aye! You be nothing to him but an expanded part to pick on me."
He never realizes that as he speaks his mind, fearing for her and gently caring, he is uttering very harsh words and she becomes nothing but offended. His idea of looking out for her definitely backfires as she by now slaps his cheek.
Ow.
She bites away at him and leaves. "How dare you say that?"
Oh, bloody hell, fantastic!
She storms out of the room and slams the door closed after her.
Now he has Angelica mad at him. Just what he needed.
This is precisely what the last thing he needed.
And she will just run straight into the arms of her future murderer.
Things cannot go any better.
What has he, again, done to deserve this?
Should he just let her? He does not care for her anyhow. And maybe she is right, that he is the delusional part?
Oh for the love of... of course no.
No, no, no! He cannot let her.
Because he would not be able to stand living through knowing he should and could have stopped her.
Ugh, and that is probably what Salazar long ago has already understood.
Goddamnit he has underestimated Salazar.
When he rushes out of the room, ready to quickly snatch Angelica, she is already gone. Before deciding to turn the house upside down, he pulls himself together.
He throws a look at the grand clock to understand it is dinner time soon anyhow. Which will force her down to the dining room and meaning he does not have to summon her as she hates. He has barely any cards left on her and cannot waste any of the few that are left.
Unfortunately this also means Armando Salazar attending the most private moment of the day. Even if Mister Hans tends to attend, also in company of the nursemaid feeding Franny-girl, Jack feels some sort of privacy due the less presence of maids, butlers and servants in general. Only a staff member serving dinner would show up in the slip of moments, together with the chef presenting the courses.
And Jack is very aware of precisely everything. Any single detail of the room. Any new piece brought to decorate the top of a furniture. Any movement of Armando Salazar. Anything, anywhere. All the time, on his alert.
And Armando has bettered on his perfume, his hair is neatly in place and his white fine attire almost makes Jack go blinde by brightness.
There is this bitter exchange of a glance between them. What has the fool dressed up for?
Jack does not want to think about it. He would probably have thrown a remark or two to this excuse of a man, but refrains from it once Hans enters in tow of the nursemaid carrying Franny-girl.
Armando grabs ahold of the cutlery knife set for him, and at once Jack does the same. Nobody takes a note of this and it offers the men to have their silent banter of who scares whom the most.
They do not get to have this noiseless fight for long before Angelica, the queen herself enters the room. Jack could have been the one dropping his knife in pure bliss of such a sight. But as Armando does so, Jack instead responds by holder his one much tighter, jaw clenching and understanding the reaction Armando has is not justified at all.
The desperation to make this woman understand what truly lies behind Salazar's eyes almost make Jack go insane. Upon Mister Hans suddenly noticing Jack's tight hold, he discreetly gestures for him to just drop it. And Jack is forced to do so. He does so, but so on makes his second mistake against Armando Salazar. The first one obviously being firing up Angelica to hate him.
The second one is being too busy silently hating on Armando that he never understands that Angelica chooses to sit down beside Armando rather than beside Jack. Now, he could have played the husband-card, but not when she already is about to sit down with Armando who gently pulls her chair out.
Honestly?
She so did not?!
Did she just sit down beside Armando?
Choosing HIM over JACK?
What the...?!
What is she doing?
And why is she giving Armando that eye?
Why is she nervously eying Hans? And why is Hans eying her with pride?
Why in hell does Armando smile like that to Angelica? Oh, how could she sit down beside him?
She and Jack are a team? Are they not? How can she just do that?
This cannot just happen. He cannot let it.
Armando Salazar reaches out his hand to the nursemaid and presents himself, as Jack's cousin. Clearly the nursemaid gets flattered by a flirtatious comment he throws. And Jack tries to read Angelica's emotion for this. But he finds it impossible.
If Jack is known for being a flirt, which she so happens to hate - but Armando Salazar, ah fine - he can do whatever HE bloody wants and she is fine with that?
Dinner is awfully pleasant though. And it quite buggers Jack to his bones. Mister Hans is pushing topics and the nursemaid even engages, her probably being innocently oblivious to the stony tension between the 'Teagues'. Angelica for tensing up against Jack, Jack for tipping on eggshells around her, inwardly raging on Salazar and Salazar himself to provokingly touching Angelica in front of Jack as if to show his power. Never in so-called inappropriate ways though, regarding the others that need to buy the idea of him simply being Jack's innocent and gentle cousin coming from Caribbean. The fact that he is… -
Jack can honestly puke on the word.
- Suitor, cannot be noticed by the others, and it seems as if as much sense has at least gotten knocked into that big fat head of Salazar's.
"The gentlemen's club tonight," Hans comments as he takes another bite of angus.
"Yes," Jack mutters. He does not want to go. He does not want to leave the two of them alone in this house. And that is not a reaction of jealousy, but a fear of having a pirate-hater as Salazar alone with a piratess. A piratess Jack himself happens to care for awfully much.
Aye, he bloody does.
And maybe… Jack takes a large swig of his overly grand glass of wine, completely forgetting how to drink like a nobleman - a hint of envy may in there somewhere.
"Salaz..," his words die as everyone except for the nursemaid at one jerks his way, raised eyebrows and frozen postures as if Jack would ruin the cover of Salazar. He quickly understands his mistake and recovers fast. "Armando, ye'd come too."
Now Angelica chuckles. "No, dear. Armando wouldn't."
And Armando joins her smile, but yet to induce an incitement in Jack. "What this lovely woman says."
This leads Angelica's mouth to trigger into another smile and Jack considers just throwing his glass across the table right at once.
"I think you should," Jack speaks. "And you will," he decides over the table. "My friends surely would want to meet you."
Even Mister Hans grows something between shocked and impressed by Jack's tone of authority. Perhaps that is also why precisely Jack had been chosen for this. He can fill in any disguise with his street-smartness, manipulating any situation for his own benefit. Question is to just make sure Jack remains on the same page as oneself. Which Hans had struggled with, but understood was a necessary input from himself.
"Cousin," Armando smiles but speaks between gritted teeth. "I have travelled long, and would appreciate some rest."
Mister Hans eyes the event but keeps on eating. "Sounds reasonable," he admits.
But Jack is not finished yet. Particularly when Armando dares continuing his selling of remaining home. "I'm sure your divine wife can make sure I behave while you're gone."
Angelica gets no chance to respond before Jack quickly retorts. "But I, cousin, being a host and offering a room for you to stay at as a guest - would be immensely offended if you dismissed this proposal."
Mister Hans's eyebrows go up. Clearly he had underestimated Jack's moves. Salazar definitely is cornered, and not even Angelica can save him from that. Not while the nursemaid is present. Being naive and unaware of the metaphors of the evening, she breaks her attention for a while from Frances to nod assuringly to Armando.
"Oh, Mr Teague, I've heard so many stories of this club. It appears as if any man attending these events are in love with them. I am sure you would too, if I may reveal the reputation that surely has reached even my ears."
Why now, Jack knew he would be able to count on this nursemaid some day. That she would come in handy. And she definitely did enough for a lifetime tonight. Without thinking he does wink to her, earning a blush from her as she returns her attention to Franny-girl. However he does notice Angelica's stare in the corner of his eyes.
The event is won, and Hans must discreetly have his mouth in a straight line, revealing to Salazar that he needs to take the offer.
"Very well," Armando bitterly has to obey. Clearly he is no greater fan than Jack of surrender. "When are we leaving?"
Jack reaches for a nearby napkin and wipes his mouth. "As soon as we have finished eating."
Angelica folds her arms, disapproves of exactly everything. And in the end, when Jack looks across the table to meet her challenging gaze, she seems to also surrender in her frustration. It is as if she wears this act but if one knowing her, like Jack, can see beyond those eyes of what explosions and fires burn inside her. Eventually before boiling point, she harshly throws her napkin down onto her plate and stands up.
"If you excuse me," and she leaves.
Hans warningly eyes Jack but he simply shrugs as response. Truly, he has no idea what world goes around in her mind. He has no idea why she is angry, what for and even really at whom. He does not understand why she cannot listen to him for once and he absolutely does not understand what she sees in an idiot like Salazar.
But one thing he is sure of, is that he will not let anything happen to her. No matter how much he will have to use his husband title against her. If it means to save her from this man. He will show them all that HE is the one playing the role of her husband.
He will.
Oh, he will.
A/N: Alright! That was chapter 17! What do you think so far? :-)